Simple Strategy to Prevent Holiday Weight Gain

We’ve all heard the stats over how much weight can pile on between Thanksgiving supper and New Year’s Day brunch. On the one hand, cooking magazines tantalize us with drool-worthy photos of holiday eats, while women’s glossies warn us not to over-indulge. Indeed, the gauntlet of food- and drink-centric festivities is in full swing, which means I’ve got my waistline on the brain and how I plan to maintain it into next year.

I could go to extremes, relying on the strategy espoused by Emily Blunt’s character in The Devil Wear’s Prada,

“See, I’m on this new diet. Well, I don’t eat anything and right before I feel I’m going to faint I eat a cube of cheese. I’m one stomach flu away from my goal weight.”

Certainly not my style, hardly healthy, and terribly unfun.

My approach is just as simple but allows room to have your holiday fruitcake and eat it too. I’ve distilled it down to two words to prevent holiday weight gain:

PAY ATTENTION

That’s it.

Now, here’s what I mean:

Pay attention to what truly appeals to you at seasonal parties and events. Enjoy just those foods and skip the rest of it. Be choosy and go for what you like. If cheese is your thing, find the best of the bunch and relish every bite. If you are a dessert gal, don’t deny yourself.

Pay attentionto when you’re really hungry and when you’ve had enough, and honor that. Part of giving yourself permission to indulge is knowing when to call it quits.

Pay attention to how it feels when you do overindulge. Waking up with a hangover, whether it’s on spirits or sugar or both, feels pretty crummy. Then, recommit to moderation.

Pay attention to how exercising over the holidays helps manage the stress and how good it feels to keep it up. Taking the time to bust a move, even if it’s for a 15 minute walk, pays off in controlling the chaos and the calories.

Pay attentionto the stories you sometimes tell yourself…and rewrite them. “But it’s the holidays. I never eat fondue/chocolate truffles/cheesecake, I have to go for seconds.” Remind yourself that it’s not the last time you will ever have these foods. Plus, overeating doesn’t usually add up to enjoyment anyway.

Pay attentionto opportunities for celebrating the season being active with your family and friends: an evening walk with your hubby to see the neighborhood lights, ice skating with the kids, building a snowman together, a group hike with visiting friends.

Pay attention to the fact that you are your kids’ role model. Let them see how you use moderation to enjoy the holidays without overdoing it. You can bake those Christmas cookies, and savor them, without taking down the whole dozen.

What are your tips and ideas?

Comments

I totally agree. One thing that I’ve found during entire winter is that I’m inside more, closer to the temptation of the kitchen. I’ve rediscovered, and my daughters have taken up knitting, and I find keeping our fingers busy while around the house is a great way to avoid just swinging by the kitchen for a little nibble.

I love that Devil Wears Prada line! I find as I get older I’ve tended to go off the rails less during the holidays because it’s so hard to lose the weight as you get older. That said, I’ve figured out a few things that work for me. First, eat breakfast. I don’t believe in “saving up” my appetite for the big holiday dinners or parties like I used to. I have found that a good breafast (my new favorite is your quinoa porridge or another multi-grain porridge that I make in my crockpot) that’s a hot cereal and either turkey or veggie sausauge. That seems to set the stage for my not going on a bender later in the day.

Second, I double down on workouts. As a family we (husband and 2-year old toddler) are pretty active. I also on my own work out with a trainer once a week and do cardio on my own three to five days a week. I know not everyone can (or wants) to do this kind of workout regime but the point is to get up and move at least a few times a week. Even the Wii has the really fun Dance Series that’s great for getting the whole family moving.

Lastly, I really try to limit (or at least monitor) how much alcohol I drink. I love wine and cocktails but I find that alcohol really lessons my resolve to eat healthily and increases my appetite. We are big fans of sparkling water in my home and we drink lots of it with different fruit garnishes. I try drink lots and lots of water which I have found tremendously helpful in keeping me feeling hydrated.